Caution cap and key therefor



Oct. 15, 1968 K. s. GARDEN CAUTION CAP AND KEY THEREFOR Filed Aug. 4, 1966 Kenneth 5. Garden INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,405,827 CAUTION CAP AND KEY THEREFOR Kenneth S. Garden, Box 248 Highland, Calif. 92346 Filed Aug. 4, 1966, Ser. No. 570,318 11 Claims. (Cl. 215-9) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A caution cap for the threaded neck of a bottle, the cap having internal threads adapted to screw on the bottle neck, sharpened closely spaced thorn-like elements radiating from the periphery of the cap, and a key for removable engagement with the cap to provide a hand grip therefor for tightening the cap to make it impractical to remove the same with the bare hand and to provide a tool for loosening the cap and removing the same without injury to the hand.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of invention Poisons of various kinds serve useful functions in the household such as for exterminating ants and for cleaning fluids and sometimes for external application to the human body, but measures are required to prevent one of these poisons being swallowed inadvertently.

Description of the prior art This need has resulted in numerous bottle closure devices being patented which will warn anyone that a bottle encloses poison when an attempt is inadvertently made to open said bottle, even though this happens in the dark. One expedient has been to provide the bottle cap with sharp radial points which render it painful to grip the cap with the bare hand. While this acts as a deterent to the opening of a poison bottle and prevents it being opened by infants, it subjects adults to being accidentally scratched or cut by the protecting thorns when they have occasion to close or open the bottle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a novel and useful caution cap and more specifically to a cap construction adapted to be utilized on containers in which medicants, poisons, and other materials, which if taken internally, by unauthorized persons, may be injurious.

The caution cap is constructed in a manner whereby its surfaces to be grasped by persons wishing to remove the cap will discourage extremely young persons from removing the cap and warn older persons, even in total darkness, that the cap is on a container Whose contents may be injurious if taken internally. As an additional use of the caution cap, it may be utilized to close a container containing materials other than those which are to be taken internally. If the caution cap is used on containers of materials not to be taken internally, its presence may warn potential users of the material in the associated container to take certain precautions while using the material. Such an instance might be the utilization of the caution cap of the instant invention on a container of cleaning fluid such as carbon tetrachloride which should be used only in well ventilated areas. Therefore, it may be seen that the caution cap of the instant invention has as its main object to provide a closure for a container which will either discourage extremely young persons from removing the cap or remind older persons that certain precautionary measures should be fellowed during use of the contents of the container.

A further object of this invention is to provide a closure for a container in accordance with the preceding object 3,405,827 Patented Oct. 15, 1968 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the caution cap of the instant invention operatively mounted on a container to comprise a closure therefor and illustrating the key portion of the instant invention in position to be operatively engaged with the caution cap;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the assemblage comprising the caution cap and key therefor with the key slightly displaced from the cap;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view of the caution cap;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the assemblage illustrated in FIGURE 1 with the key operatively engaged with the cap and portions of the key and cap broken away and illustrated in vertical section;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of a modified form of caution cap; and

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates a container including an externally threaded neck portion 12. The container 10 can be utilized for containing various forms of medicants, or other materials which must be used with caution.

The caution cap of the instant invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 14 and comprises a body16 including a threaded blind bore 18 adapted to threadedly receive the threaded neck portion 12. The body 16 includes outer surface portions 20 which face outwardly away from the center of the bore 18 and which include closely spaced outwardly projecting thorn-like elements 22 which are sharpened as at 24 at their outer ends to discourage a person grasping the body in a manner to unscrew it from the neck or neck portion 12.

The elements 22 are conical in configuration with their base ends secured to the surfaces or surface portions 20 and from FIGURE 3 of the drawings it may be seen that the elements 22 are outwardly inclined slightly in a clock wise direction, when viewing the cap 14 from above, and from FIGURE 4 of the drawings it may be observed that the threads on the neck portion 12 are right hand threads and it is therefore to be noted that the threads in the bore 18 are right hand threads.

' The cap 14 includes a top wall 26 including a projection 28 which projects upwardly from the top wall 26 and is generally triangular in horizontal plan shape.

The inclination of the elements 22 directs the extreme outer ends of the elements so as to be better adapted to be more uncomfortable to a person grasping the cap 14 and attempting to turn it in a counterclockwise direction to remove it from the container 10. Further, it will be noted that the cap 14 is completely devoid of any surfaces, other than those from which the elements 22 project, which may be utilized by a person to manually remove the cap 14.

However, in order to provide a means whereby the cap 14 maybe readily removed without discomfort, a key generally referred to by the reference numeral 30 is provided. The key 30 defines a tubular body 32 provided with a plurality of angularly disposed side wall portions 34 and end wall portions 36. The body 32 is hexagonal in transverse cross-section and its side wall portions 34 have a plurality of different shaped non-circular openings 37, 38, 40, etc. formed therethrough. In addition, the end walls 36 have still further different shaped openings 42 and 44 formed therethrough.

The opening 42 is triangular in cross-sectional shape and the triangular projection 28 is snugly receivable in the opening 42 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 4 of the drawings thereby keying the key 30 to the cap 14 whereby the necessary rotational forces to remove the cap 14 may be applied to the key 30. Of course, the key 30 is to be placed in an unobtrusive location where unauthorized persons of the container 10 will not have ready access to the key 30. In addition, the various other shaped openings 37, 38 and 40, etc. formed in the side wall por tions 34 of the body 32 are adapted to receive projections similar to projections 28 on other caution caps.

With attention now invited more specifically to FIG- URES 5 and 6 of the drawings there may be seen a modified form of caution cap generally referred to by the reference numeral 50 and which is substantially identical in construction to the cap 14 except that it is provided with elements 22 in lieu of elements 22 and a projection 28 in lieu of projection 28, the projection 28' being square in cross-sectional shape and snugly receivable in the opening 44 formed in the end wall 36 of the key 30.

The elements 22 extend substantially radially of the longitudinal axis of the cap 50 and are substantially cylindrical throughout their entire length except for the extreme outer end portions thereof which are provided with double bevels 52 and 54, each set of double bevels defining a horizontally extending sharpened edge 56 including pointed end portions 58 and 60 at its opposite ends.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A caution cap construction comprising a body defining a threaded bore and adapted to be screwed on an externally threaded neck portion of a container so as to define a closure for said neck portion, said body including peripheral surface portions facing outwardly from the center of said bore including closely spaced outwardly projecting elements sharpened at their outer ends so as to be adapted to discourage a person grasping said body in a manner to unscrew it from said neck portion, said elements extending generally radially of said bore and outwardly from said peripheral surface portions a distance equal to at least one quarter the transverse dimension of said body, exclusive of said projections, taken along a diameter of said bore.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said elements extend outwardly from said peripheral surface portions a distance equal to at least one half the transverse dimension of said body, exclusive of said projections, taken along a diameter of said bore.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said elements are generally circular in cross-sectional shape.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said elements are beveled on their outer ends to define sharpened elongated transversely extending and outwardly facing edges.

I 5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said elements are generally conical in configuration with their apices disposed outermost. l

6. A caution cap construction comprising a body defining a threaded bore and adapted to be screwed on an externally threaded neck portion of a container so as to define a closure for said neck portion, said body including peripheral surface portions facing outwardly from the center of said bore including closely spaced outwardly projecting elements sharpened at their outer ends so as to be adapted to discourage a person grasping said 'body in a manner to unscrew it from said neck portion, said cap having a wall portion thereon facing outwardly generally infa direction opposite to the direction in which said bore opens, a key for removable engagement with said cap to provide a hand grip therefor, said key. and wall portion including coacting projection and recess means telescopingly engageable with each other to key said key and cap together against relative rotation.

7. The combination of claim'6 wherein said projection means is carried by said cap and said recess means iscarried by said key.

8. The combination of claim 6 wherein said elements extend generally radially of said bore and outwardly from said peripheral surface portions a distance equal to at least one quarter the transverse dimension of said body, exclusive of said projections, taken along a diameter of said bore. 7 V

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said elements are outwardly inclined slightly in a clockwise direction and said threaded bore includes right hand threads.

10. A caution cap construction comprising a body defining a threaded bore and adapted to be screw on an externally threaded neck portion of a container so as to define a closure for said neck portion, said body including peripheral surface portions facing outwardly from the center of said bore including closely spaced outwardly projecting elements sharpened at their outer ends so as to be adapted to discourage a person grasping said body in a manner to unscrew it from said neck portion, said cap having a wall portion thereon facing outwardly generally in a direction oppositeto the direction in which said bore opens, a key for removable engagement with said cap to provide a hand grip therefor, said key and wall portion including coacting projection and recess means telescopingly engageable with each other to key said key and cap together against relative rotation, said key including a Wall portion, said recess means being defined by said key and comprising a non-circular opening formed through said wall portion.

11. The combination of claim 10 wherein said key comprises a hollow body including additional wall portions, at least some of said wall portions having further non-circular openings formed therethrough of different cross-sectional shapes and adapted to coact with corresponding projections carried by other caps.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,089,887 3/1914 Waye 215-9 1,121,459 12/1914 Blake 215-9 1,597,843 8/1926 Theiler 215-9 1,663,822 3/1928 Walker 215-46 X 2,024,657 12/1935 Missel 215-43 2,066,481 1/1937 Noll et a1 215-46 3,097,756 7/1963 Dorsey 215-9 DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner. 

